


Ship Me, Love Me

by rinnenotsubasa



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Enemies to ???, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, shua the sassy mc, soonyoung being a cute fanboy, young director lee chan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 08:00:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20188945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/pseuds/rinnenotsubasa
Summary: The reality of Pledis TV's artists and popular "ships".





	Ship Me, Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by some of my favorite BL drama couples such as 
> 
> -Tay Tawan x New  
-Off x Gun  
-Jake Hsu x Chris Wu  
-Andy Bian x Kenny  
-Podd x Earth  
etc.
> 
> Can you guess which couple inspired which story? Hehe.
> 
> WARNING:  
This is written purely for self-indulgence.  
Stories might not have plot nor conclusion.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his sixth year under Pledis TV talent agency, Jihoon was finally getting his big break. The problem: his new work partner, Lee Seokmin.

"How?" Exasperation overflowing from Jihoon's voice. It's a question that had been haunting Jihoon recently, and he's desperate to know the answer. Now he's searching for it as he stood on his knees, body pressed to the back of Joshua's sofa, head facing the open kitchen right next to the TV room. The target of his question were his colleagues and best friends, Mingyu and Minghao.

''How what?" replied Mingyu without looking away from the pot he's stirring. 

"You mean--" His voice was momentarily drowned by Minghao, who was chopping scallion on his left. "--stew? It's fine, Shua didn't ruin it."

"No, I mean--Sstt!!" Jihoon jolted as something cold was pressed to his right cheek. It was a can of beer, which felt like it had been stored in the freezer instead of chiller. Jihoon glared, but said thanks anyway as he took the beer from Joshua's hand.

Joshua's fingers worked fast on opening the can and the lid touched his lips before his buttocks touched the sofa on Jihoon's right. ''Aaah… That's good. You guys want some?" Joshua turned to the kitchen.

''No, thank you. We brought our own wines," said Mingyu, still concentrating on stirring like his life depended on it. Joshua waved his free hand in dismissal and returned his full attention to his can of beer. 

"Don't drink too much, dinner's not ready yet," Minghao reminded from behind the counter. Joshua's only response was a noncommittal hum and another gulp of alcohol.

Minghao sighed at Joshua's answer before turning to Jihoon. "What were you asking?" He patiently waited for Jihoon to form his words. 

"How do you guys do it?" Jihoon finally said. "The touching and cuddling… And, uhm…''

Minghao looked confused and Joshua chimed in. "He's troubled about doing fan service with Seokmin," he said, summarizing Jihoon's problem in one sentence. Actually Jihoon hadn't talked to Joshua about his problem, but Joshua had always been quick to notice things in their group. 

"Oh." Minghao's face lightened up after the explanation. "Well, you know Mingyu and I…" He started. Right, Minghao and Minghao were the types who didn't mind a lot of physical contact. They hugged and slung their arms around each other, cuddled when sitting together. It's just their thing. 

"It's even easier because we've known each other for so long. We communicate well." 

Minghao, Mingyu, Jihoon, and Joshua all joined Pledis TV in 2010. They started their careers together, sharing many jobs at the beginning. Their first regular MC gig for a music show cemented their bond, and now they were best friends for 6 years and counting. 

"Yeah." Mingyu spoke as he walked out of the kitchen, bringing the stew pot to the TV room table. "Careful it's hot. So, when they asked 'can you kiss each other?' I was like 'why not?' It's easy doing love scene with your best friend."

Minghao and Mingyu's friendship and touchy behavior caught the attention of Lee Chan, Pledis TV's young director. He was producing Pledis TV's first gay drama show (or "Boys Love", "BL", whatever you call it), and set his eyes on Minghao and Mingyu as the leads. Upon its broadcast, the drama became 2014's hottest title among drama fans, not only in South Korea but also other countries. Thanks to its popularity, Minghao and Mingyu spent the last two years touring Japan, China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asian countries for fan meetings as "Gyuhao".

"Got it… It's easy huh…" mumbled Jihoon. He was troubled because he had a different case. For starters, he was not a touchy person. Second, _ The Worst of Both Worlds _ was his first drama; his acting credits before this were limited to MV and commercials, and honestly his acting skill was way lacking. Lastly, his partner was Lee Seokmin.

Seokmin joined Pledis TV less than a year ago, but already possessed acting credits more than any artists in the company. Heard that since childhood, he had been in a lot of indie movies and theater plays, and had some small parts in TV dramas. With that experience under his belt, Seokmin managed to impress _ The Worst of Both Worlds _staff and actors. Add that with his cheerful personality, Seokmin became everyone's darling.

Well, everyone except Jihoon who played as his romantic interest. 

"You can work it out even with people who are not your friends," Minghao said as he walked over with some plates and chopsticks. "What is Seokmin like?" 

"Well he's… a ball of sunshine and uh… kinda touchy.''

"Seungcheol kind of touchy?" asked Minghao. Seungcheol was one of the artists in 2013 batch. He's a good guy, though at first his… lack of personal space, you could say, surprised Jihoon so much that Jihoon almost elbowed him on the face. It was a long time ago, Seungcheol had maintained a respectful distance since then and they're cool now. 

"...uh, worse…'' 

"You should see his face when Seokmin glomps him every time they meet," added Joshua with obvious glee in his voice. He's definitely enjoying Jihoon's misery.

"Have you tried to talk with him?" Minghao kindly asked, his face showing sympathy. 

"I did, we talked, and he said he'd tone it down a bit, but--" A sigh interrupted his words. "He went back on his words and said that… that..." God, he really didn't want to say this himself, he's dying of embarrassment. "...he's uh… he can't help it because I'm… adorable..." He almost gagged that last word.

Minghao, a.k.a Jihoon's only friend in this room, was the only one who didn't laugh. 

"We'll Seokmin's like what?" said Mingyu. "1,8 or something? Jihoon must've look _ cute _ in his eyes." He snickered. 

"Here, see him bending his huge body so he can bury himself in Jihoon's neck," said Joshua as he pulled out his phone. Mingyu quickly moved his ass to the arm of Joshua's chair. That's it. It's official. Minghao was Jihoon's only best friend.

"Whatever I'll just have to bear it for a while," Jihoon ended the topic and started to dig into his plate. _ The Worst of Both Worlds _ doesn't get too much promotion (most of the budget is obviously for Minghao and Mingyu's second drama, currently filming) and Jihoon and Seokmin were only the second pairing anyway. Soon everyone would forget about them and he'd be free before the middle of the year.

**********

It's early October and Jihoon had a photoshoot today. He couldn't remember how many photoshoot he had this week. There was one for the beverage ad, the company profile, the fashion magazine… And almost every one of them he did with…

"Hmmph!" 

The sound came from behind him as something soft and fluffy hit the back of Jihoon's neck. A contrast to the thick and hard arms wrapped around his waist. Jihoon's body jumped at the sudden attack of sensation, but his arms stayed still instead of trying to elbow the person behind him. _ He's getting used to this_, Jihoon thought in horror. 

"Seokmin, the stylists will be livid if you destroy my styling," he said with tired voice. 

Seokmin let go of him with a chuckle and a jolly "Okay, Jihoonie." 

Jihoon turned around and saw his colleague having his signature smile, with closed eyes and rows of extremely bright teeth exposed. Anyone else would swoon at that, but Jihoon had seen that smile almost everyday since the end of last year, he's getting tired of it. 

''But promise me, after shooting," said Seokmin with a bit of a pout. Jihoon had learned that the only answers to this were yes or yes. Answering no would just lead to a long whining session and Jihoon was just too tired for that.

_ The Worst of Both Worlds _ ended its broadcast in May and Jihoon thought it would be his goodbye with Seokmin. Sure they would still meet from time to time since they're in the same company, but it should be less in frequency so Jihoon was looking forward to that. 

It was as if the world was plotting against him. It's dramatic, yes he knew that, but it sure felt like that. Jaemin and Dae, the characters played by Seokmin and Jihoon, gathered a lot of attention from fans, even more than the drama's main couple. Seokmin's touchy behavior also fueled the fans, and they started to "ship" Seokmin and Jihoon. Seokhoon was their pairing name. 

Pledis TV, like any other sensible company, caught on the rave and fed it. They gave Seokmin and Jihoon more jobs together, seriously marketing Seokhoon as a set. It's not that Jihoon wasn't happy with getting more jobs. Heck, after five years of minimal exposure he's finally getting what anyone in the industry worked themselves to the bone for: attention. Yet he had a mixed feeling of seeing #Jihoon posts in social media almost always had #Seokhoon alongside. While Minghao and Mingyu stayed quiet, Joshua had pointed it out to him once; he could be too much of an idealist at times. 

_ "I know you want people to recognize you for your 'talents'" _ said Joshua one day. He had an air quote for the world 'talents' not because he didn't believe Jihoon had them, but simply because he didn't think they were necessary in their line of work. Jihoon knew that from years of friendship.

_ "But think again, at the end of the day, what is it that really mattered to you?" _ Joshua said no more and let Jihoon did the thinking. 

Jihoon pondered and pondered. He thought of his high school days, when he would watch the TV with longing in his chest. How that longing grew so intense that he rebelled against his parents' decision to get him into university and fled to Seoul to try for auditions in talent agencies instead. He recalled the first few years in the capital city, discouraged by work not going as planned and lonely from no contact with his family. Then his third year when his parents gave him a sudden visit, kept him company for a few days without making any comments about his (lack of) work, and left after putting a thick envelope of money on Jihoon's bed. 

Now he's got enough earnings to return that money, even built that gazebo his parents had been wanting. The most rewarding thing was the way his parents' eyes sparkled whenever anyone asked about their son. Their now famous son whose face was on billboards and metro trains. Jihoon tried to put it on the scale against his need of recognition for his 'talents'. 

That was why Jihoon kept doing the job, and gave his best to adjust to his work partner. That didn't make it any easier though.

Today was especially hard. He's beaten from all the events he attended last week: product launching in which he's the ambassador, award show where he's the MC, concert in which he's invited for publicity… He felt like he had done 3-months worth of work in a week, and now he had many photoshoot lined up for the week, even one in _ Sunday _ (specially arranged to fit Seokmin's schedule).

To say that Jihoon was tired was an understatement. 

So when today's photoshoot ended and Seokmin glomped him on his way to the parking lot, Jihoon snapped.

The shock and sadness on Seokmin's face made Jihoon's heart heavy with guilt. He knew that fatigue didn't justify his outburst, and that Seokmin was most probably as tired as him. Seokmin told him (and all the people in the world, basically) that Jihoon's smell calmed him. That's why he loved to cling and bury his face in Jihoon's neck. Maybe today he also felt tired and wanted to relax a bit. 

Curse Jihoon for being an awkward and cowardly asshole. He left Seokmin only with a "See you Sunday" and no apology. The incident stayed in his mind even until Friday. He had a product launching in the afternoon with Jeonghan and Wonwoo, both Pledis TV artists and half of the ''2013 F4" with Seungcheol and Junhui.

Jeonghan invited them for dinner afterwards but Wonwoo had another schedule so it's just the two of them. 

"Wow, hold up," said Jihoon when he just finished a plate of meat and Jeonghan quickly filling his plate.

"You need to eat a lot, sunbaenim." Jeonghan said with that cheeky smile of his. The blond was actually one year older than Jihoon, but everyone was going with the order-of-entering-agency rule to determine seniority.

Jihoon chuckled. "Why bother sucking up to me," he said jokingly. "I got no power and I heard you already got yourself a big project next year." He wiggled his eyebrows and Jeonghan laughed.

''But seriously, you need to eat. You seem a bit down." Jeonghan said as he put meat into his own plate. Jihoon watched Jeonghan working his chopsticks and thought, maybe he should talk about it.

"Can I ask you something?" 

"Sure."

"How do you work it out with Seungcheol?" Jeonghan and Seungcheol first got paired in a commercial series two years ago. They created quite a buzz so the company made them a side couple in a drama last year. That made "Jeongcheol" the latest sensation. As far as Jihoon knew, their popularity were catching up to Gyuhao, and that's something huge. 

"Hmm?"

"You guys are just… okay right? Not best friends or anything. How do you…''

"Look like we can't have enough of each other?"

"Yeah. Like that."

''Well… We are actors, and it's just work. I just think that every time I'm with him I'm in a drama set and just do what I gotta do."

Jeonghan answered so casually, like it's no big deal. Jihoon started to wonder if he's the only one thinking too much. Or worse, maybe he's not suited for the job. 

"Speaking of Seungcheol…'' Jeonghan's phone screen turned bright and he gave it a glance. "I invited him too. We're going to do a short live and tease fans about our new project." Jeonghan gave him that cheeky smile again. "Will you be our honored guest star?" 

Jihoon laughed. "I'd flip if you had asked me to be your cameraman."

A few minutes later Seungcheol arrived, accompanied by Soonyoung. They took a seat, Seungcheol next to Jeonghan, and Soonyoung next to Seungcheol. Soonyoung also joined Pledis TV in the same year as Jeonghan and Seungcheol. Jihoon had worked with him several times on projects that utilized their shared interest in dancing. 

"Hyung!" Soonyoung greeted him loudly. The guy had always been easily excited. They chatted a bit until Seungcheol attracted everyone's attention by rummaging his bag. 

"Where is--" he mumbled.

While Jihoon and Jeonghan looked at him in confusion, Soonyoung calmly took out a phone from his pocket and gave it to Seungcheol.

Seungcheol's eyes widened and he smacked himself on the forehead. "I forgot I left it with you!" 

"What would you do without him." Jeonghan shook his head and faked a sigh. Seungcheol only laughed and repeated, "What would I do without him." before turning to Soonyoung and shared another laugh. 

"You should come with us to the set," Jeonghan said to Soonyoung. "He's a mess," he elaborated, ignoring Seungcheol's protest.

"I'm his best friend, not his personal assistant." Soonyoung chuckled.

Seungcheol nudged his head to Soonyoung's shoulder. "But it'll be fuuuun." It earned him a gentle slap to the forehead.

"Anyway, I should be going," said Soonyoung as he pushed Seungcheol off him. Jeonghan gave him a nod while Seungcheol whined for him to stay longer. Soonyoung didn't indulge his best friend and left after saying goodbye.

''Okay, let's start the live, shall we?" Jeonghan prompted and Seungcheol immediately scooted closer to Jeonghan. The lack of distance between the two seemed so natural, Jihoon thought with a sigh.

****

The photoshoot in Sunday was outdoor, at one part of a flower park. Information quickly spreaded and a lot of fans gathered. Jihoon and Seokmin spent some time between shooting to greet the fans.

It was awkward as Jihoon and Seokmin hadn't properly talked since Jihoon's outburst on Tuesday. When they met on the set earlier, Seokmin only gave him a smile. He didn't hug Jihoon like usual, and the only physical contact they had was during the photoshoot.

Now they're greeting the fans separately, standing so far from each other. Jihoon knew it couldn't last long, and sure enough, fans started to point it out.

"Why are you so far from each other?" One fan spoke loudly and the rest hummed in agreement.

Seokmin gave them his best smile and said, ''I want to focus my attention to you guys. Don't you want that?"

"But we want you to focus on Jihoon!" The fans were unanimous on this. 

Seokmin, despite being an incredible actor, looked clearly troubled by the request. Jihoon started to feel irritated. He's making it worse!

So Jihoon walked to his colleague and pulled him by the neck so Jihoon's mouth was in line with Seokmin's ear. While the fans were busy screaming and taking pictures, Jihoon whispered. "I won't get mad. Act normal."

When he let go of Seokmin's neck, the taller guy looked like he was about to cry. God, we're both so dramatic, thought Jihoon. 

With that, Seokmin was back to his usual self. He hugged, and clung, and pulled Jihoon to sit on his lap. Jihoon let him be. He saw Seokmin's smile was no longer forced and thought that it's worth to endure all the cuddling.

*****

Jihoon was learning. He's conditioning himself not to think much when Seokmin smothered him with hugs, and he's started to master it. He still struggled with kisses and hand holding, always avoiding when Seokmin tried to steal a peck to the neck or forehead, but Seokmin no longer got hurt from it. It's their dynamic now; Seokmin the clingy and Jihoon the tsundere. 

Besides, the fans seemed to love it. Soonyoung, Pledis TV non-official shippers representative, passionately explained Seokhoon's charm to Jihoon.

''Gyuhao and Jeongcheol are great. We love their long-established vibe. It's stable. It's reassuring. But you know what we love more?" said Soonyoung, fire of passion burning in his eyes. 

"We love struggle. We love to go through the tunnel of pain to get to the other side, the lovey-dovey fluff. And you… you give us that. The way you avoid Seokmin's attempt to hold your hand for a whole 30 minute then said nothing when Seokmin pulled you to his lap?" 

Soonyoung literally did the "chef's kiss" in front of him.

"Okay… So all's good, right?"

"All is amazing!! 2017 just started and I already know it's going to be the best year ever. Gyuhao getting even stronger after last year's series, and now Wonwoo and Junhui!!! Saturday is my favorite day now thanks to _ June Rain_. And have you met our newcomers?"

"Who?"

"Vernon and Seungkwan! I can feel they're going to be big. I begged Director Lee to give them a project together and he said 'You seriously thought I haven't thought of that?' and I was like--" Soonyoung made an unintelligible noise which Jihoon translated as Soonyoung being excited.

"And!! I'm excited Jaemin and Dae getting a special episode!"

Jihoon felt his stomach sank at Soonyoung's last sentence. It reminded him to his recent fear, reprising his role as Dae from _The Worst of Both Worlds_. He'd read the script and it's waaay more difficult to deal with even though it's only one special episode of 60 minutes in duration. He felt more anxious now that filming day was closing in, especially after doing workshop. His acting instructor did his best within the limited time they had, but Jihoon couldn't deliver. "You'll do it on set," he said to Jihoon, but he seemed no more sure than Jihoon. 

Filming finally started in June and the first day went better than expected. The second day, however, they were shooting a scene where Jaemin collapsed and got hospitalized. Dae was very distressed and finally shed tears in the hospital corridor. 

The thing was, Jihoon was not a crier. He's not sensitive and compassionate like Minghao and Mingyu, he had a drier outlook of life equal to Joshua and didn't shed tears easily. The difference was Joshua was a better actor than Jihoon, despite having many more MC gig than acting job. 

They're shooting the crying scene first because of the set condition. Jihoon just couldn't get it right. The staff got him eye-drops to help but no one liked the result. In the end they decided to shoot the hospital bed scene first and get back to the crying scene later. Jihoon bowed repeatedly to all staff for causing such trouble.

While the staff were preparing the set, Jihoon waited with Seokmin near the costume rack. Seokmin hadn't glomp Jihoon except once in the morning. Maybe he knew Jihoon needed concentration and space. Jihoon was silently grateful for that.

"Jihoon, do you want orange juice?" asked Seokmin. Jihoon replied with a "No, thanks." and Seokmin nodded before leaving. But after a few steps, Seokmin's body fell onto the ground.

It was so sudden, Jihoon's heart felt like it had leaped out of his chest before beating rapidly. When he got on his knees next to Seokmin, his heart stopped. 

"Seokmin, no… What-- H-help! Somebody--"

His cry for help was cut short by the tug on his left sleeve. Jihoon looked down and saw Seokmin looking up, gaze sharp and fully conscious. 

"You-- It was an act?"

"That's how Dae felt when-- Ouch! Hey, ouch!" Seokmin yelled as Jihoon slapped him on each arm.

''You idiot, I thought you were really--"

"I was just trying to show you!" Seokmin sat up and looked at Jihoon with a guilty smile. "We haven't shot it yet but that's what Dae saw. That's how Dae felt. And with all that shock, worry, and confusion, he arrived at the corridor. It all became too much and he couldn't hold back his tears."

Jihoon went quiet. His brain was trying to register what he just saw and Seokmin's words. When they all sunk in, Jihoon said quietly.

"I… Thank you, Seokmin…''

The smile Seokmin gave him felt like one last push to his back. Jihoon felt warm. 

When they got back on set, Jihoon was no longer himself. He was Dae.

****

Clearly Seokmin was acting strange, but why was no one saying anything? 

Yes, Seokmin still showed his brighter-than-sunshine smile. He still clung to Jihoon at any given opportunity. He still responded to fans and MC’s words with enthusiasm and sincerity.

But why did nobody notice the hint of sadness in his eyes? Or the strain in his laugh? The way his fingers clutched Jihoon’s shirt tighter than usual?

It bothered Jihoon so much that he decided to do something about it during the photo session of this product launching event. He and Seokmin were standing on the left side of the second row, along with Minghao, Mingyu, Wonwoo, and Junhui. On the first row stood Jeonghan, Seungcheol, Vernon and Seungkwan. The center position was for fans who purchased a special set of Saeki body cream. 

Despite Jihoon’s usual aversion to hand-holding, he had little hesitation before slipping his right hand into Seokmin’s cardigan pocket and pressing his palm on Seokmin’s. His fingers gripped the back of Seokmin’s left hand, making sure that he’s sharing the warmth to Seokmin. 

He kept looking forward and smiling to the cameras, fully aware of the stare Seokmin gave him. Jihoon ignored him and a few seconds later, he no longer felt the gaze. The warmth in his right hand still remained.

After 25 photos, Jihoon forgot that he was holding Seokmin’s hand. He only remembered about it halfway through the closing, and tried to inconspicuously let go. But of course, fans’ sharp eyes didn’t miss it. Photos of their hand-holding from every angle filled the Internet and made #Seokhoon trended that day.

  
Somehow Jihoon couldn’t bring himself to be bothered. He made fans happy anyway. Even better, he got a message from Seokmin later that night. It said, “Thank you. I feel better.” And really, that’s all that mattered.

*****

They kick-started 2018 with Seokhoon Fan Meeting Tour. First stop was Seoul in January. Jihoon had been busy with the rehearsal and other preparations since the end of last year. It left him with no time to reflect on the previous year. 

But now as he stood on stage, about to give a thank-you speech with Seokmin on his right and 5.000 fans in front of him, memories from the year 2017 (and even the years before that) started to flood his thoughts. It filled him with nostalgia and gratitude, he almost forgot the words he had prepared.

Once he was ready, Jihoon decided not to go with what he had written several days ago. 

“This the 8th year since I came to Seoul and started my journey.” Jihoon paused. He looked at the front row fans, some staring at him with adoration, others with teary eyes. He also acknowledged the gaze from his right before continuing.

“It’s been a long and winding road, and I wouldn’t have made it this far without the help of many people. My family, especially my parents, who let me learn my lessons while always watching over me. The whole Pledis TV family, the staff and fellow artists, they’re with me through thick and thin. The one standing on stage beside me…” 

Jihoon felt Seokmin stirring but kept his gaze forward. 

“...who endured many things, as I’m not exactly the easiest person to work with, who gives me more than I can repay, who--Hey, I’m trying to speak here!”

The hall was filled with a mix of laughter and squealing as Seokmin grabbed the right side of Jihoon’s shirt and snuggled his head on Jihoon’s neck. Jihoon whispered at Seokmin to let go, but the latter only whined and refused to move away. 

Sighing, Jihoon moved the mic to his left hand and wrapped his right arm around Seokmin’s waist, tapping gently as he spoke again. “And I wouldn’t have been able to push through without you, each one of you here and also everyone supporting from home, without you all this Lee Jihoon would not exist. Thank you.”

Seokmin finally let him go to clap along with the fans. Jihoon bowed at the fans before turning to Seokmin, and they shared one big smile. 

**

“Poor Seokminie hurt his head,” said Joshua in fake concern. “Don’t you think he needs a chuu to whisk the pain away?” he added as he turned to Jihoon. 

Jihoon was not annoyed with what Joshua implied; at this point he was used at MC and fans prompting him to do things like this and had stopped resisting some time ago. He’s just annoyed at Joshua’s MC voice. 

On his left, Soonyoung barely contained his excitement and let out a squeak. The guy just couldn’t help himself. Jihoon always wondered how he got all that energy to fanboy at every ship in Pledis TV.

Meanwhile, the victim in the game corner of _ Shua Fun Night _ was rubbing his forehead while pouting like a kid. Jihoon chuckled at the sight.

He took one step forward and pulled Seokmin by the back of his neck. Seokmin seemed a bit surprised but let himself being pulled until Jihoon’s lips touched his forehead in a quick peck. When Jihoon let him go, Seokmin was giggling and Jihoon followed with a chuckle. The editors will surely put blush on their cheeks later.

After the staff’s “awww” and Soonyoung’s high-pitched squealing died down, Joshua continued his show forward. 

“Gosh, three years into the relationship--” Jihoon rolled his eyes at Joshua’s choice of words but Joshua pretended he didn’t see. “--and you keep getting better at showing affection, don’t you.”

“I’m just used to it, because it’s him.” Jihoon answered casually. More “awwww” from the studio.

"As one of his best friends, I must say he’s cruel, only sharing his love with Seokmin and not us.” Joshua said as he wiped his (non-existent) tears. 

“I’m only used to these with him. Besides why would I want to do these with you,” Jihoon faked a gag.

“Harsh. Anyway, _ Diary of A Math Student’s Miscalculations _ episode 10 will air on Saturday, November 17. It’s right on your birthday, right?”

“But Jihoonie’s birthday--” Seokmin chimed in.

“My birthday’s on the 22nd, how long have you been my friend??”

“Oh, right. Well, anyway, the teaser showed Sam and Jooheon getting closer, lips almost touching… Will we be getting a kiss?”

Seokmin spoke up, confidence brimming from his voice. “Oh, not only that.” 

Jihoon felt the confidence getting to him. And besides, the episode was worthy to be proud of. “You’ll be getting the best kiss of the year.”

While Soonyoung squealed (for the nth time today), Joshua stayed calm. “Oh, really. As I recall, your kiss in _ The Worst of Both Worlds _ was… how can I describe it… juvenile.”

Jihoon gave a smug smile and said, “This time our mouths will be--” Jihoon made a wild gesture with his two hands at the same time as Seokmin twisting his neck all around. 

“Uhuh. Let’s see it for ourselves this Saturday, so don’t forget to tune in to Pledis TV at 9 PM. That’s it for today’s _Shua Fun Night_. See you again!”

***

Saturday, November 17, 2018.

Settled in Joshua’s largest sofa, Jihoon watched himself on the screen kissing Seokmin. He felt happy because of the result, and also because Minghao and Mingyu, sitting on the floor below him, finally closed the awkward gap that had been separating them lately, their shoulders bumping into each other as they let out exaggerated “wow”s and “aaah”s. On Jihoon’s left, Joshua kept his eyes to the screen while raising his right fist, and Jihoon bumped it with his own. 

When the episode was almost over, Jihoon pulled out his phone and logged in to Twitter. The first tweet on his timeline was:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a saying for this in Javanese. It’s “witing tresna jalaran saka kulina.”


End file.
